The University Colloquium on the Global South at York will host a panel presentation, titled "Protracted Refugee Situations: A Challenge for the Global South". This presentation is the last in the colloquium's winter series and will take place Wednesday, March 28, from 2:30 to 4:30pm, in 305 York Lanes.
Since the early 1990s, the international community has largely focused on emergencies including the delivery of humanitarian assistance to refugees and war-affected populations. Over 64 per cent of refugees in the world today, however, are trapped in protracted refugee situations. Such situations are found mostly in the Global South and most often in camps, rural settlements and urban centres. Refugees trapped in these forgotten situations often face significant restrictions on a wide range of rights. At the same time, protracted refugee situations frequently give rise to a number of political and security concerns for states in the Global South. Discussing these refugee situations, panellists in this presentation will bring to the table a variety of perspectives on the issue.
- James Milner is a post doctoral research Fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto. He is also co-director of the University of Oxford’s PRS Project: Towards Solutions for Protracted Refugee Situations, an international research project focusing on the plight of refugees in situations of prolonged exile in Africa and Asia. He has also worked as a consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in India, Cameroon, Guinea, and Geneva. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Oxford, where he worked on the politics of asylum in Africa.
- Wenona Giles is a professor of social sciences and women studies at York University. Giles is also the associate director of the Centre for Refugee Studies at York. She coordinated the International Women in Conflict Zones Research Network and the project titled, "A Comparative Study of the Issues Faced by Women as a Result of Armed Conflict: Sri Lanka and the Post-Yugoslav States". She is presently involved in an international project on protracted refugee situations.
- Shukria Dini is a PhD candidate in women studies at York University. Her dissertation focuses on "The Roles of Women's Organizations in Peace-building and Post-Conflict Transformation in War-torn Somalia".
The University Colloquium on the Global South is an open space for debate and critical inquiry for students, faculty members, non-governmental organizations, social activists and policy makers. Colloquia are free and do not require pre-registration.
For information or to register for updates, visit the University Consortium on the Global South Web site or contact Joelle Reid at joelle@yorku.ca.
This event is co-sponsored by the Centre for Refugee Studies.